New (refurbished) brotherhood joins the fray

[Marshall Bretton]

Hi guys,

 

So I have been a lurker on the forums in general for a long time and been actively involved with the SW and BT forums but the new edition has really got me interested in my grey knights again. I started my collection years ago when they first came out and built a respectable force but tbh they never got used much and my painting skills at the time weren't great.

 

I have recently cracked open my old box and am in the process of refurbishing what I had painted and planning the (depressingly large) pile of what I never got round to painting.

 

What are people's thoughts on the below list for 2000 points? It's made (almost) entirely with what I have in my collection so I don't need to get any new models.

 

Hq:

Kaldor draigo

Brother captain stern

Castellan crowe (only model I need to buy)

Gmndk with hammer, psycannon and incinerator

 

Troops:

10 man terminator squad with banner, apoth, 2 psycannon.

5 man terminator squad with banner, apoth, 1 psycannon.

 

Other:

5 man paladin squad with banner (psycannon) and 2 psycannon.

5 man paladin squad with banner (psycannon) and 2 psycannon.

10 man purifier squad with 4 incinerators.

 

 

I know paladins aren't the beasts they used to be but I do love their background, I have a high paladin govanon Bors I converted in one of my more recent forays into the army but that only lasted a few weeks. I do still remember when you could take them in units of 1 which was hilarious and fun.

 

On top of what's above I have another ndk, a dreadnought (although this might become parts to convert the gmndk to be enclosed), a brotherhood champion, a librarian, a chaplain, a captain/master with hammer and psycannon and probably 5 or 6 more terminators which could be built as paladins or standard brothers.

 

Appreciated anyone's thoughts on what I have. I will be putting some background together for my brotherhood as well at some point as I enjoy coming up with that so once I have some thoughts I'll put that on here as well.

Edited June 28, 2023 by Gaius Maximus

[WAR]

Welcome to the Halls of Titan @Gaius Maximus

 

I would definitely considering dropping a named character for a Librarian and depending on your dreadnoughts load out consider that as your long range fire support. 

[Marshall Bretton]

On 6/28/2023 at 2:29 PM, WAR said:

Welcome to the Halls of Titan @Gaius Maximus

 

I would definitely considering dropping a named character for a Librarian and depending on your dreadnoughts load out consider that as your long range fire support. 

 

Thanks brother, I had thought about dropping crowe and the purifiers. As much as I like his background, I just don't like the power armour models as much as terminators. Maybe I could put the librarian on with some more terminators.

 

The dread has a plasma cannon but it's on the refurb pile so I can change that to whatever I want tbh. I'm just quite an aggressive player so if it's in my backfield it will be pretty exposed

[Marshall Bretton]

Greetings again brothers. So I have recently been working on some lore for my brotherhood and have come up with the below. I have chosen the 8th brotherhood as their style of warfare fits with what I like and they have some interesting history without having too much development for me to be able to make it my own:

 

Grey Knights 8th Brotherhood – The Silver Blades

 

Grand Master – Knight Commander Mordred the Black

Brother Captain – Knight Captain Godfrey Leon

Brotherhood Champion – First Champion Gerhalt Rivian

 

Flagship – Battlebarge Fire of Dawn

 

Permanent attachments:

Librarian – Emrys Myrden

Chaplain – Julius Urban

Paladins – 10 Paladins permanently seconded to the 8th to aid in their training. Commanded by Paragon Tancred Bouillon with his second Paragon Talus Infernus taking charge of a squad when not they are not deployed as a single force.

 

The Silver Blades.

As the Brotherhood responsible for training the new recruits for the Chapter, the 8th holds several ranks which are unique to them. The Grand master is known as the Knight Commander of recruits, commonly shortened to just Knight Commander, and their Brother Captain holds the similar title of Knight Captain. The Brotherhood Champion of the 8th holds the title of First Champion. This title is not necessarily to signify that the champion of the 8th is the foremost of the Brotherhood Champions, but rather to show his role as first among equals. All Brotherhood Champions hold responsibility for the martial training of new recruits in the chapter, and as the Champion of the 8th is from the Brotherhood responsible for the overall training and selection of the recruits, he is granted overall responsibility for how the martial training should be conducted. In addition to these specialised ranks, the 8th has a full squad of Paladins permanently seconded to them. As the martial elite of the Chapter, the skill of these warriors is invaluable for aiding with the selection and training of new recruits as well as further mentoring them once they are granted their full knighthood and deployed to battle with the Brotherhood.

 

The Character of the 8th has changed little over the last 10,000 years because of their responsibility for training all new recruits for the chapter. As a result of this, every Master who has led the Brotherhood has been raised in the same way and maintained the traditions and beliefs of the Brotherhood when they have taken command. This means that the Brotherhood continues to reflect the character of its first Grand Master, Khyron. There are many rumours of the original identity of this legendary figure, though many point to Fel Zharost, the chief Librarian of the Night Lords. This would certainly explain the belief prevalent throughout the chapter of doing whatever must be done in order to achieve the mission, with the ends justifying the means as long as it is in service of the Emperor. The 8th is also renowned for its tactical flexibility, with all brothers being experts in all methods of warfare and weapons, rather than specialising in just a single area. That being said, the current Knight Commander, Mordred, has a particular belief in the utility of the Chapters tactical dreadnought armour and as such has increased the number of squads making use of the suits in comparison to those equipped with power armour. On top of this, Mordred has a burning belief that the only way the Chapter can succeed is for every brother to be as skilled a warrior as possible, and that there is always scope for improvement. This determination means the 8th are pushed harder than ever to train and perfect their martial abilities whenever they are not in combat, with some saying they are now the sharpest blade in the Chapter. In recent times, more warriors from the 8th have been elevated to the ranks of the Paladins than from any other Brotherhood.

 

 

Key personalities.

 

Knight Commander Mordred the Black.

 

As with all Grey Knights, the origins of Mordred are a mystery, though it was clear from the start that he was an experienced warrior who already had a grasp of using his powers in battle. During his initial trials on Titan, Mordred was often among the first of his cadre to complete each test, and famously defeated a Demon which had attempted to possess him to infiltrate the Chapter, using his nascent powers to imprison it within the skull of a former aspirant. Mordred believed this was part of the trials and presented the skull to the assessors upon reaching the end of his journey across the wastelands of Titan.

Upon the completion of his trials and granting of his Knighthood, Mordred was assigned into the 8th as is tradition. His progress continued rapidly, earning several battle honours in short succession, notably including being one of only 13 knights to survive the battle with the Demon Primarch Angron during the first war for Armageddon. When the time came for him to choose where his future lay, Mordred immediately asked to remain with the 8th rather than be moved to one of the other Brotherhoods. In time, Mordred became one of the youngest Justicars in the history of the Chapter after slaying a greater demon in single combat. Soon after however, a fateful event befell Mordred which would shape his future forever. Whilst deployed against a rare incursion from all 4 Chaos powers simultaneously, Mordred’s squad was attacked by the Demon Prince of Chaos undivided, Khal’igul’ark. All of those present with Mordred were slain by the Demon and he was gravely wounded. He was only saved when the rest of the Brotherhood closed the warp portal, forcing the creature to retreat before it could deliver the deathblow. This incident left scars both physical and mental upon the Knight who blamed himself for the death of his brothers, believing if he had been more skilled and more dedicated in his training they would have survived. This belief drove Mordred to take up the quest to become a Paladin to prove to himself that he was worthy of his place in the chapter and that his martial skill was not in question. Over the course of several years Mordred progressed with his trials, passing each in turn and becoming a greater warrior as a result. Finally, only one quest remained, to banish one of the six hundred and sixty-six most powerful demons. Mordred knew that only one demon could ever be chosen for this quest and when he consulted the Iron Grimoire to find the true name of his target, he turned directly to the section detailing everything the Chapter knew of Khal’igul’ark. Mordred spent many years seeking his foe, finally tracking it to the moon of Upsal III which was in the midst of a warp storm. Here Mordred and the demon battled for some time, the Knight waiting for just the right moment to use the true name of the creature. Finally, the time came, and Mordred struck the black heart of the beast after stunning it with the name, banishing it back to the realm of chaos and earning his place as a paladin.

After this, Mordred served for another century and a half in the Paladins before the Grand Master of the 8th was killed in battle. With the former Brother Captain promoted to take his place, a new Captain was needed for the Brotherhood and Mordred was agreed upon by all the Grand Masters. This, in time, led to his elevation to Grand Master when his predecessor was slain.

Mordred typically enters battle piloting a Nemesis Dreadknight suit to allow him to bring his combat skills to bear directly against the most dangerous foes, freeing up the rest of his Brotherhood to focus on tactical targets and objectives. When this is not possible, he wields an ancient nemesis great sword with prodigious skill, being well renowned as one of the Chapters greatest blade masters. 

 

Knight Captain Godfrey Leon.

Godfrey Leon would be the epitome of a heroic knight were any in the Imperium permitted to know of his existence. Honourable almost to a fault, Godfrey pursues his calling with a pure heart, taking great pains to preserve as many innocent souls as possible, indeed he was closely considered by the purifiers for inclusion in their hallowed ranks for some time. Whilst he clearly understands the necessity of the existence of the Grey Knights and demons being unknown to the normal souls of the imperium, he feels great sadness any time those he has fought beside or to protect must be purged and sees this as a personal failing on his own part for being unable to shield them from the knowledge which has doomed them. A close comrade of Grand Master Mordred, the two warriors have fought together since their induction into the Paladins as part of the same squad and know each other’s minds without the need to even speak. This intuitive understanding allows the command of the 8th to function seamlessly with both warriors easily able to adapt battlefield plans to suit the actions they believe the other will take.

 

First Champion Gerhalt Rivian.

Gerhalt Rivian is a true artist with a blade. A quiet and reserved warrior, Gerhalts voice is rarely heard, be that on the battlefield or in council. He prefers to speak through his blade and devotes every spare moment to further refining his exceptional skills. As the warrior with the foremost responsibility for the martial training of the chapter’s recruits, this expertise is of great value and the skill of those knights entering the service of the chapter is clearly influenced by the actions of Gerhalt. On the battlefield, Gerhalt fulfils his role well, shielding his grand master from any threats and seeking out enemy champions to slay allowing his brothers to focus on the wider battle. There are a great many powerful creatures in the warp who hold powerful hatred and fear for this mighty champion and his blade, it remains to be seen if any will be able to enact their revenge against him.

 

Librarian Emrys Myrden.

Amongst the oldest of the Grey Knights Librarians, Emrys has been permanently seconded to the 8th at his own request for the past 700 years. An unusually powerful psyker not because of his raw power, but rather because of his skill as both a battle psyker and a prognosticar, Emryss has been a source of much debate for many years by the grandmasters who frequently discuss if he is of more value to the chapter secluded with the prognosticars or on the front lines as a warrior. So far Emrys has been able to maintain his place with the 8th where he hopes to see the fulfilment of one of his earliest prophecies, seeing a mighty warrior emerge who will lead the chapter from a time of terrible darkness into a golden future. As time wears on however it remains to be seen whether Emrys will be able to see this prophecy fulfilled or whether his ever-increasing age will finally force the Grand Masters to ensconce him with the prognosticars rather than risk losing his talents forever.

 

Chaplain Julius Urban.

A true firebrand preacher, Chaplain Julius is by far the loudest voice on any battlefield, constantly exhorting his brothers to greater acts of heroism in the Emperors name whilst smiting demons with righteous wrath. Off the battlefield Julius is little different with his loud and passionate sermons demanding greater service from all his brothers. He is no less reserved in councils, often speaking his mind freely and with passion. Julius believes that the reactivity of the Imperium and the Grey Knights is their greatest weakness and constantly argues for more aggressive action to be taken to counter threats before they emerge. He has even gone so far as to suggest the expansion of the chapter and that a crusade should be launched into the Eye of Terror itself to defeat the enemy at its source.

 

Paragon Tancred Bouillon.

A quiet and reserved warrior, Tancred prefers to allow his actions to speak for him, which his skill as a warrior frequently does. That being said, he is also extremely astute and wise, and when he does choose to offer his council, it is closely heeded by all, be they raw recruit or grand master. A close friend of Grand Master Mordred and Brother Captain Godfrey, these warriors have fought together for many years, as a result Tancred is often close to the councils of the Master he is assigned to serve, and many rumours persist that should the Brotherhood need a new Brother Captain, Tancred would be the first choice for the position.

 

Paragon Talus Infernus.

A grizzled veteran warrior, Talus has served the grey knights longer than almost any other in the Paladin brotherhood, though he has never shown any desire to move beyond the rank he now holds. He also specifically requested to be part of the squad permanently attached to the 8th in order to take a leading role in the training of recruits. A harsh and unforgiving taskmaster, Talus is renowned for punishing any sign of weakness severely in those under his charge. Some see this as overzealous, but those who know Talus better understand the Truth. The grizzled warrior understands that only by exposing and destroying weakness can the full potential of those he has been tasked to train be revealed and greater warriors forged as a result. If this treatment breaks many recruits, then so be it, they clearly we're not worthy of becoming Grey Knights.

[WAR]

Very nice